The Cardinal Bird which is sometimes knows as the Redbird is a very popular visitor to bird feeders. I have had a lot of luck drawing the Cardinal Bird to my feeder using Safflower Seed. The Cardinal really seems to enjoy this seed. What I like about Safflower seed is the squirrels do not like it, as they seem to jump on the feeder, give the seed a sniff and then get away as fast as possible. These birds really enjoy sunflower hearts also, but the squirrels love those also. You will have trouble with squirrels if you use sunflower hearts, so be prepared for that. I have had many feeders destroyed by squirrels while they are going after sunflower hearts. My solution has been to use Safflower Seed for this pretty Red Bird, the Cardinal Bird.

 

Northern Cardinal Bird, some general data

So the Cardinal Bird does enjoy sunflower seeds and will come in for that food, but their favorite seems to be safflower seed. This is the seed I would suggest if you would like a lot of Northern Cardinal Bird visitors to your feeder, and no squirrel issues. Other birds that love Safflower seed are chickadees, tufted titmouse, purple finches, and white breasted nuthatch. These are also great birds to have visit your feeder in addition to the Cardinal Bird. Just another reason to use Safflower, as you will be able to enjoy these added birds in addition to your Cardinal Bird. During the breeding season Cardinal’s are very territorial and you may only have one pair visiting the feeder. During the winter it is a different story though. I have had as many as 20 Northern Cardinal Birds at my feeder during the winter, this is at the same time. They seem to tolerate each other much better and they really flock in if you have lots of Safflower seed for them. One strange Cardinal Bird phenomenon I have run into is they seem to fly into windows a lot. I have had to rescue several of them after these Cardinal Birds have flown into the window. If you look at the picture above, this is a Cardinal that flew into our window and we needed to rescue it. They seem to have a lot of issues with windows when there are hawks around. Bird hawks seem to enjoy hunting the Northern Cardinal Bird. I have seen a couple of them caught by hawks while at my feeder. The Red Cardinal seems to fly just slow enough where it is easy for hawks to catch them. They are beautiful birds but they do seem to be a little dense when it comes to hawks. While other birds will freeze when the hawk is present the Cardinal seems to want to flush from the thick tree and fly out into the open, to get away. When this happens they seem to be doomed and not match for the predator. The Cardinal Bird cannot fly fast enough to escape the hawk. The hawk just catches them from mid air.

Where does the Cardinal live and what does it look like

The Northern Cardinal Bird lives from the Eastern part of the USA, up some into Canada, and then down to the Gulf of Mexico. It also lives in the state of Hawaii. The call of the Cardinal can be heard year round and sounds like churty, churty, churty. The bird does not migrate south in the winter, this is why it is so good to attract these to your feeder in the winter time. The male Northern Cardinal Bird is a very bright red, has a black face, and very red bill. It really is a very pretty bird. They really look nice at your feeder in the winter when there is snow on the ground. Nothing looks better than having these Red Birds around to contrast against the fresh snow. The female Cardinal Bird is faded brown with a red tinge up to its crest, wing and the tail. Similar to a male Cardinal Bird the female has a black face and its bill is more orange. The Cardinal Bird has a strong bill, and can bite quite hard. I have discovered this in the rescue of Cardinals that have hit my window. They seem to want to latch on to my fingers even though I am trying to help them. In the winter it eats the seeds, and loves safflower. In the summer the bird eats a lot of insects, and feeds its Cardinal chicks these insects. A young Cardinal Bird that is only a few months old looks similar to the female. The bill of the young Cardinal Bird is black, before it turns the bright red color of the adult Cardinal. The Cardinal Bird has nine primary wing feathers that allow for flight. It’s not the best flyer though when trying to get away from the pesky bird hawk. The Cardinal molts a couple of times per year and their feathers look just terrible and worn just before they molt and replace them with new bright red feathers. After they molt they look much better and more brilliant.

How does the Northern Cardinal nest?

The Cardinal Bird female builds a nest of twigs and grass in a thick bush. They seem to like thick pines trees or thick curly willow trees. I have had them nest very frequently in both of these trees. I usually don’t know the nest is there until the adults start to feed the chicks. The female is the one that incubates the four eggs. The eggs hatch in about 14 days. Both parents tend and feed the young chicks. The pair usually raises two or three broods each year. A lot of times the male keeps feeding the young while the female disappears, and starts to build a new nest, and begins incubation of the next set of eggs. I have noticed that the chicks seem to start eating the safflower seed when they are around four to five weeks old. When they start eating the seed the male seems to feed them less and less, as he knows they are about ready to be on their own. The young Cardinal Bird chicks seem to hang together until late fall. The Cardinal babies seem to enjoy each others company for that summer. Of course they must find their own territories shortly after becoming adult Cardinal’s. As mentioned, the female will already be incubating the next nest of eggs while the male continues to raise the older Cardinal chicks. When the new brood is born the male will then switch over to the newest brood and start helping with those chicks. One really interesting thing I saw last summer was a male feeding a young brown headed cowbird. This was confirmation that cowbirds do lay their eggs in Cardinal nests. This was the first time I had ever seen this, so I don’t think it happens real frequently. I think the female cardinal really watches for any cowbirds near her nest, this is why it is not seen real often.

What is the future of the Red Bird
I believe the future is very good for the Cardinal Bird. I have noticed more and more of them over the years. The Cardinal used to be more scarce ten or fifteen years ago. I have seen more than ever in both the summer and winter. The Red Bird seems to be thriving nicely thanks to the help of backyard bird feeders. Keep the bird feeders stocked with Safflower seed and you will enjoy these beautiful birds year round. I believe the Northern Cardinal Bird will be around for a long time for us all to enjoy. It’s one of the greatest birds you can have visit your back yard feeder.